Bathtub



H. J. OTlS Oct. 2, 1951 BATHTUB Filed June 7, 1948 M I. y I. I uwspfi vPatented Oct. 2, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BATHTUB Howard J.Otis, Kansas City, Mo.

Application June'i, 1948, Serial No. 31,510 7 Claims. (01. 4-173) Thisinvention relates to improvements in bath tubs and has particularreference to bath tubs for the convenience of elderly people, invalids,and people generally.

It is hazardous and inconvenient for the old and invalids to get in andout of the standard bath tub. Furthermore, many bathers experienceserious accidents due to the fact that the ordinary tub provides nosuitable hand holds, and ofttimes the long flat bottom of the tub isslick, thus causing accidents due to falling.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a bath tubof relatively small floor area and of relatively high walls, having anopening in the upper portion of its side wall and a closure suitable forclosing said opening whereby the bather may have accessto the tubthrough said opening while conveniently grasping the upper edge of saidtub without bending over.

Another object of the invention is the provision of relatively high bathtub having a side door through which the bather has access to the tuband having a seat formed in one end of the tub adjacent said side door,whereby the bather may conveniently operate said door when seated insaid seat.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a bath tub havinga relatively small volume adjacent its bottom portion and an increasingrelative volume as it progresses upwardly toward the top of the tub.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a bath tubhaving a seat positioned below the lower edge of the door opening.

Other objects are efficiency and economy of construction, ease andeconomy of operation, and adaptability for general use as a bath tub forall bathers.

With these objects in view, a well as other objects which will appearduring the course of the specification, reference will be had to thedrawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bath tub embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the tub, partly brokenaway to disclose the internal structure.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the bath tub.

Throughout the several views of the drawing, like reference charactersrefer to similar parts, and the numeral l designates a bath tub having acabinet of general rectangular form having a bottom l2, side walls I4and I6, and end walls I8 and 20. It will be noted that this tub isrelatively high and short as compared with the standard bath tub andprovides a top rolled rim 22 suitable for the bather to grasp whilev inthe normal standing position. The front side l4 of the tub is providedwith a door opening 24 which extends from the upper edge of the sidewall to a point substantially half Way to the bottom of the tub. Thisdoor opening as shown is adjacent the forward end l8 of the tuband isprovided with a closure 26hinged at 28 to side wall 14. This door isprovided with suitable latching means 30 at it free edge whereby thedoor or closure is drawn tightly against a resilient door strip 32 bymeans of which the upper portion of the tub is made water tight when thedoor is closed.

The back end of the tub is provided with a seat 34 that extends acrossthe tub and has an inclined back member 36 which extends downwardly tothe seat which is normally inclined forwardly to drain into the tubtherebelow. Seat 34 is provided at its forwardedge with an upwardlyextending crotch member 40 which precludes possible slipping of theoccupant from the seat. This seat is undercut at 42 to permitofsufiicient foot room at the base of the tub. It will be noted thatseat member 34 is positioned below door opening 24 and extends slightlyforwardly of the rear of the door opening, thus facilitating easy accessof the bather from the tub entrance to the seated position in the tub.

Positioned in the bottom of the tub in easy reach of the occupant isdrain pipe 44 having a stopper 46. Directly in front of and in easyreach of the bather is a hot and cold faucet 48 which is mounted in endwall l8.

That portion of the cabinet or tub between the seat member and end wall20 is partitioned off from the tub chamber, thus conserving water forfilling the lower portion of the tub.

When it is desired to take a foot bath the water may be run into the tubany desired depth below the seat level, however, the body of the bathermay be entirely emersed, if desired.

It is quite apparent that I have produced a bathing cabinet or tub whichis convenient and comfortable for the bather, one that presents suitablehand gripping rails that insure safety while getting in and out of thetub, and a restricted bottom area that limits to a minimum possibleslipping and falling in the tub.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A bath tub comprising a cabinet having side and end walls ofsubstantially the same height as the length of the tub, a door openingextending downwardly from the upper edge of one of said Walls tosubstantially the vertical center of said wall, a hinged closure adaptedto close said opening, and a seat formed in said cabinet adjacent saidclosure beneath the lower edge of said door opening, said door openingbeing in a wall transverse to said seat and extending forwardly fromsaid seat.

2. A bath tub comprising a rectangular cabinet having a substantiallysquare front wall provided with door opening extending downwardly fromthe upper edge thereof to a point substantially half way from the top tothe bottom of said side wall, a closure hinged to said front wall forhorizontal swinging movement relative thereto to close said dooropening, and a seat formed in one end of said cabinet below said dooropening, said door opening extending forwardly from said seat.

3; A bathtub comprising a rectangular cabinet having a substantiallysquare front wall and having a rolled top hand gripping rail extendingtherearound, a seat member formed in one end portion of said cabinet toclose off section of the'lower portion of said cabinet, said front wallhaving a door opening formed in the upper portion thereof entirely abovesaid seat member, a horizontally hinged door adapted to close said dooropening a water inlet adjacent the'upper edge of said cabinet and adrain pipe in the bottom thereof.

' 4. Abath tub comprisin a rectangular cabinet having a substantiallysquare front wall and having a rolled top hand gripping rail extendingtherearound, a relatively low seat member formed in one end portion ofsaid cabinet to close oil a section of the lower portion of saidcabinet, said front'wall having a door openin formed in the upperportion thereof adjacent the other end of said cabinet, a horizontallyhinged door adapted to close said door opening with its free edge sub--stantially in transverse alignment with the front edge portion of saidseat, a water inlet adjacent the upper edge of said cabinet and a drainpipe in the bottom thereof.

5. A bath tub comprising a rectangular cabinet having a substantiallysquare front wall and having a rolled top hand gripping rail extendingtherearound, a seat member formed in one end portion of said cabinet toclose off one end section of said cabinet whereby the cross sectionalarea of said cabinet is gradually reduced from its top to said seat,said front wall having a door opening formed in the upper portionthereof above said seat'member, a horizontally hinged door adapted toclose said door opening, a water inlet adjacent the upper edge of saidcabinet and a drain pipe in the bottom thereof.

6. In a bath tub of the class described, a seat member formed thereinabove the level of the bottom thereof, said seat member having a portioninclined downwardly toward the forward edge of the seat to providedrainage, and a portion inclined upwardly toward the forward edge of theseat to prevent the occupant from slipping from the seat.

7. In a bath tub' of the class described, a seat member formed thereinabove the level of the bottom thereof, said seat member having legreceiving depressions formed therein and inclined downwardly toward theforward, edge of said seat member, and a crotch piece inclined upwardlytoward the forward edge of said seat.

HOWARD J. OTIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

- UNITED STATES PATENTS Numher Name Date D. 104,933 Vaughan June 15,1937 128,755 Robb July 9, 1872 1,962,076 Jadkowski June 5, 19341,997,249 Dobbs Apr. '9, 1935 2,075,933 Friedlander Apr. '6, 19372,344,990 Landauer Mar. 28, 1944 2,456,275 Harris Dec. 14, 1948 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 189,845 Switzerland June 1, 1-937

